"And this here was invented by an ol' frontier settler pony named Agustus Appleton!" Applejack pointed at a plaque standing right before a rickety wooden contraption that resembled a wagon fitted with levers and scoopers. "It's an apple-sortin' machine. Up in Seaddle, when the first ponies came there to farm apples, they used to manually sort the apples by hoof. They'd arrange 'em by weight so they could properly sell them in coordinated bushels. But that took forever and the produce market was rampin' up somethin' fast. Sooooo... this smart feller devised a way for you to funnel the fruit down a chute and a wooded scale would immediately press down whenever a certain weight was reached, and them there levers that you see would shove them into either one barrel or another!"
Rainbow Dash stifled a yawn. "Mmmmm..." She rubbed one eye and nodded. "Uh huh?"
Applejack's eyes squinted. "Am I puttin' ya to sleep, sugarcube?"
"I'm... uh... I'm good, AJ." Rainbow Dash nevertheless bore a bleary smile from where she hovered next to the farm mare in the museum. "S-Sorry. I'm trying my darnedest. I promise."
"Heh... it's alright." Applejack tilted her hat back, smirking. "I did say this means a lot to me—not you."
"Yeah. You said that this sort of stuff makes you happy." Rainbow Dash stared down the line of historical farm artifacts. "And that's super cool and all, but... uhm..."
"Yer wonderin' how all of this balderdash pertains to you, ain'tcha?"
"Mmmmmm..." Rainbow Dash blushed slightly, rubbing her forelimbs together. "...yyyyyyyyeah."
"Well..." Applejack strolled through the history wing, glancing at various exhibits standing before them. "Did ya know about the names of all these ponies before I brought you in here?"
"Errrr..." Rainbow floated after Applejack, shaking her head. "No."
"Have you ever seen any of these contraptions before?"
"Sorry. Can't say that I have."
"Well... answer me this, darlin'..." Applejack glanced back at her with a smile. "You ever bit into a sweet, delicious apple?"
"You're serious, right?"
"Just answer the question." Applejack pointed. "It's even better if you've bitten into an apple before you ever met me."
Rainbow Dash blinked.
"I'm serious!" Applejack smiled. "Have you?"
"Well... sure! I mean... Cloudsdale might be miles above the earth, but we get shipments of earth pony products all the time there. I've eaten apples all my life."
"Good stuff, I reckon."
"Oh, friggin' A! You bet! Always a tasty treat."
"Well, I'd say yer appreciatin' the fine work and legacy of these ol' settler ponies without even knowing about them!"
"... ... ...huh?"
Applejack chuckled at Rainbow's scrunched expression. "Rainbow, sugarcube, no single pony can swallow the whole world's worth of information. I'm sure even Twilight would tell ya that it takes more than a lifetime to put everythang ever written into yer noggin'. It's just... not very practical-like to learn and remember everything."
"Still... sucks that so many ponies get forgotten."
"Well, sure. And I ain't sayin' that it's fine and dandy to be ignorant. But..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Rainbow Dash, it's plum inevitable that yer gonna be forgotten."
Rainbow bit her lip.
"Even if you do get famous—which I have every confidence of you bein', now." She turned around and smiled softly at the mare. "Either on purpose—but mostly by happenstance—most ponies are gonna live their future lives without ever knowin' that you ever once existed. But—the way I see it—so long as you do everythang you can to improve the lives of those around you and those yet to come... then..." Her teeth showed beneath her grin. "They'll sure as hay appreciate all the contributions that you've made in your life! Because they'll be reapin' the benefits of them! Whether they know it or not!"
Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs and gave Applejack a cockeyed glance. "Is that your philosophy in life, AJ?"
Applejack shrugged. "Ain't too crazy, is it? Take my folks for instance..."
"Yeah...?"
"I only have slim memories of them." Applejack took a deep breath. "They're awfully precious memories—as you can imagine—but so much of what I do nowadays is just so overwhelmin'. It's so plum easy to forget all of the sweetness of the past. And—I hate to say it—but so many of them memories and sensations are startin' to fade." She gulped. "But..."
"You're living life to the fullest for them..."
"And because of them," Applejack said. "And I know it! So... in everythang I do or say or set my heart to... they're alive with me! And I can always appreciate them! Even if I don't remember them fully." She sighed happily. "I reckon after you and I are long and gone, Rainbow, ponies will be appreciatin' us all the same. It's just... the nature of livin', y'know?"
"Yeah. Sure. I'll buy that."
"Heh... I ain't forcin' ya to, sugarcube."
"But... all this time you've been living for your folks?"
"Uh huh."
Rainbow's eyes blinked, narrowing. "Have you ever thought of just living for yourself?"
Applejack blinked. "... ... ... ... ...I don't follow."
"Heheheheh..."
Applejack raised an eyebrow into the brim of her hat. "What? What's so funny?"
"It's not funny."
"Then what is it?"
"I... I don't know..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. She looked off. "Just... you're... uh... you're a pretty cool pony, Applejack."
"Why, thank ya kindly, Rainbow."
"And I'm sure your parents would believe the same thing—especially if they saw you today. So... like..." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Haven't you lived for them long enough? We all know you appreciate your folks. How about living for yourself for a change?"
"How... would... I go about doin' that?" Applejack shrugged.
"Pffft... I dunno!" Rainbow Dash laughed nervously.
"I like what I do. Heh..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "I lurve what I do."
"Yeah. No doubt about that."
Applejack blinked.
"AJ, it's really swell that you wanted to get me a pep talk and all... but..." Rainbow squirmed visibly in midair. "Can we go find the other girls now? They're probably miles away in this friggin' place now."
"Well, sure! I'm sorry if I was borin' you."
"You're not boring me, I just..." Rainbow Dash coughed. "...I just think it's high-time we caught up with the rest of our friends."
"All we're doin' is havin' a nice, warm-hearted chat."
"Heeheehee... hee hee heeeeee..." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head and flew ahead. "Yeahhhhhhh..."
Applejack squinted at her curiously. Under an awkward cloud of confusion, she nevertheless trotted after her petite companion.